Tag Archives: Heifer Ranch

Fleece Navidad

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Editor’s Note: The following post is by Heifer Ranch volunteer Danielle Alleman. Stay tuned for our upcoming Heifer Blog series in 2013, Volunteer Voices.

Heifer Ranch Sheep

Heifer Ranch Sheep. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

What are all those lime green lines on our sheep’s heads you ask? It means they are pregnant! Each and every one of our sheep had an ultrasound recently, and the news is in. We have 89 sheep pregnant at the moment, which means in the spring, BABIES. Lots of them.

This past October our livestock crew worked hard synchronizing, sorting, and supervising each of our 90 female sheep, or “ewes,” to get ready for the breeding season. Not only did we want all of our sheep pregnant, but we also wanted to make sure that they were going to lamb one specific weekend in March.

Why you ask?
Women’s Lambing Program!

Heifer Ranch Sheep

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Women’s Lambing is a program that happens each year here on the ranch and it is exactly what it sounds like – women from all over the country come to experience lambing and the miracle of birth, all while learning about sheep, farming, and Heifer’s mission.

Although the program does not run until March of next year, the livestock team has been planning for this week for months. Three weeks of hard work went into this process, so that after the sheep’s five-month gestation period, we can have lambs for everyone to see! This is just one of the things that the livestock volunteers are responsible for, and one of the ways that Heifer is able to raise money and provide a worthwhile experience to the participants of this program.

Interested in learning more? More information on the Women’s Lambing Program can be found here.

Heifer Ranch Sheep

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Give the gift of sheep!

We Are The Heifer Ranch Volunteers

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Editor’s Note: The following post was written by Heifer Ranch volunteers. Stay tuned in 2013 for our upcoming Heifer Blog series, Volunteer Voices.

More than ever, it is often difficult to feel hopeful about the future – especially when one billion people live in urban slums, and nearly 870 million chronically hungry. Sometimes, it seems that our worries focus more on making money and the status of our economy rather than the plight of those less fortunate than we are. Yet, if we take a moment to slow down, there are people all around us dedicating their time and heart to local, national, and international causes that do make the world a better place. A bell is often ringing outside our supermarkets for the Salvation Army, your barista may mentor refugee children in return for a smile, and on cold winter nights food finds its way into the hands of those who do not have a home to come back to.

Here on the Heifer Ranch there are volunteers from all around the world who come and live on the ranch full-time. We work in the CSA garden, raise and care for livestock, work with school groups, and simply maintain the ranch as a whole.

Heifer Ranch volunteers

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

But why do we volunteer? Why do people give so much of their time and effort and receive nothing in return? Often volunteering is a learning experience. Many of us had never been on a ranch before, knew nothing about raising livestock, sustainable agriculture, or issues relating to hunger and poverty, yet by being here and pushing ourselves, we have grown. Those that had never touched a sheep in person are now trimming their hooves. We know how to water a garden using a treadle pump after growing up having to just turn a faucet to receive this precious liquid. We have learned how to absorb the staggering statistics revolving around hunger and poverty and then convey this to students in a way that impacts and empowers them to act. And, we have all found ourselves acquiring mountains of crafty knowledge we had never envisioned prior to our arrival. Yet we also learn about who we are, about what we hold dear to ourselves, and what we want in the future.

From this, it may seem that volunteering is a personal activity, one that we do to learn or make ourselves happy. And though this may play a role in us being motivated to volunteer, this is normally not the reason one chooses to volunteer. There are many ways we can learn and gain experience while at the same time receiving something in return, like a job. And yes we often do find joy in the act of volunteering, but this seems to be an unavoidable side affect of performing a selfless act that helps aid others in need. Despite this, happiness is not the motivation of volunteers, because there are many other ways we could be spending our time that would load us full of such hedonistic feelings.

What brings us to volunteer is passion. We find ourselves captivated by so many different things, and for each person our drive is focused differently. Through volunteering we are able to translate our passion into a positive force. Those that are transfixed by the plight of the homeless in their community spend time at food banks and kitchens for the homeless. Those who dream of a food system where we can all thrive and be healthy spend time in community gardens. And those who are captivated by the struggle of those less fortunate in all corners of the Earth volunteer for organizations like Heifer, providing a hand up to those who see no help in sight.

Volunteering is a crucial action. It is one that humbles us, allows us to push past the individualism which often holds us back, gives to those who cannot give, and creates a loving community from which we all can thrive.

It is not that we all become full time residential volunteers, but that we can find the time to volunteer in some capacity. For no matter how small or how little time we have to give we make a difference. We fill a belly, bring about a smile, and empower someone who has never felt powerful.

Volunteers strive to reach that better world and motivate others to take time out of a busy schedule to perform a selfless deed and create a beautiful place to live. We have hope, hope in future where far more people perform work, thinking of someone other than themselves, hope for a better world. And as we write, we have faith that hope will become realize. More people are volunteering and, as on the sign one sees departing the Heifer Ranch, more people “go in peace.”

Heifer Ranch sign.

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Learn more about the Heifer Ranch, or find out how to become a Heifer Ranch volunteer!

The Spirit of Volunteerism

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Editor’s note: Today is International Volunteer Day 2012. This year’s theme is “Celebrate Volunteering!” Heifer International is supported by many volunteers, in both developed and developing countries. Today we share accounts from some of those volunteers. The following post is by Richard Ims, residential volunteer at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas.

Heifer Ranch volunteer Richard milking goat

Richard Ims milks a goat at Heifer Ranch. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

A pessimist, they say, sees a glass of water as being half empty; an optimist sees the same glass as half full.
But a giving person sees a glass of water and starts looking for someone who might be thirsty.

– G. Donald Gale

Research has documented the benefits of volunteering. Health seems to improve both physically and mentally for those who give of themselves for others. But this is not our motivation. It is only a glancing consequence to truly getting behind something we believe in. We’d do it regardless of any quid pro quo perk.

It is a calling.

The very definition of volunteering is a service-act of one’s own freewill…..without compensation. This lack of compensation, at the heart of it, should include any “warm-fuzzy” we might be addicted to as amelioration for our “good” actions. This is the yardstick we use to help critique our own motivation in aiding others. How does this make me feel?  A legitimate question, yes…..but not the compelling factor. We can and should certainly feel fulfilled as a human being when we are able to help relieve another’s plight. This is why we exist. This is why we were created. But the yearning of compassion relentlessly tugs.

Love cannot remain by itself — it has no meaning.
Love has to be put into action, and that action is service.

– Mother Teresa

Therefore, always take the stance of humility and be ready to have your own plight relieved by another….and accept it graciously. To be fully human is in part, to know how to pass on AND receive the gift when freely given. The whole and mature volunteer knows and lives this principle comfortably.

Now allow me to also ponder the agricultural definition of a volunteer [read: a plant which springs up from its own seed]:  “Growing, without being intentionally seeded by hand.”

We volunteers, miraculously grow more deeply without the expectation of constantly being re-seeded by any profit motivation. We just give, as we have been given already from the start, better off for not fully knowing our impact:

It is like a man who casts seed upon the soil;he goes to bed at night and gets up by day,and the seed sprouts up and grows– how, he himself does not know.

– Mark 4:27

We need focus outside our own selves. The lack of this outward focus has been one of the deadliest downfalls of our recent societal trend: Individualism and the stubborn, immature and selfish stance of “me.”

In many ways, WHAT volunteering effort we get behind almost doesn’t matter. It is THAT we get behind something other than ourselves and our own agendas, which makes the difference:

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up people together to collect wood and don’t assign them tasks and work,
but rather teach them to long for the endless immensity of the sea.

– Antoine de Saint Exupery

My wife and I have been full-time volunteers for the past 12 years. We’ve had to sacrifice a lot to do this, but no thing greater than our own agendas and ideas of success. Much of our inspiration has come from other volunteers, especially the young voices and activists who have more of a global perspective than we ever did at their ages. It gives us great hope and great pride in the human endeavor.

Only when we give joyfully, without hesitation or thought of gain, can we truly know what love means.

– Leo Buscaglia

Richard's wife, Jina, volunteering in Kitchen at Heifer Ranch

Richard's wife, Jina, volunteering in the kitchen at Heifer Ranch. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Of course, most are not called to full-time volunteering. There are so many important family responsibilities that trump this lifestyle. But the care we give our own family members is also a call in the spirit of volunteerism and “going beyond the call of duty,” which nurtures and manifests that same spirit in our future generations through leading by example.

No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.

– Aesop

So serve in the situation and opportunity your creator has given you already. Then be open and vigilant to the opportunities that pervade your own community. In this way we may gracefully expand into the void that begs to be filled by love and care and then without fail, the act exponentially multiplies and causes a ripple effect.

How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment: we can start now, start slowly changing the world! How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make a contribution toward introducing justice straight away.

– Anne Frank

It is pure pleasure to know that we work with fellow volunteers and in our own way, foster greater Love, Peace and Joy in the human spirit; to encourage and be encouraged. Remain steadfast and please don’t let the task-oriented, hard-wiring of our society make you forget why you do what you do. Volunteering is way beyond a job, so don’t make it one. Take the time to smell the roses you are planting through your positive energy and desire to serve. In this way, we journey together to one day become more fully human.

I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.
Those among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.

– Dr. Albert Schweitzer

Become a Heifer Volunteer.

Heifer Village Hosts Special Visitors

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Yesterday Heifer Village hosted a session of “Experience America,” a State Department program designed to introduce members of the Diplomatic Corps and their spouses to U.S. cities to cultivate relationships and promote partnership opportunities. The spouses arrived at Heifer Village and were greeted by Heifer International President and CEO, Pierre Ferrari along with some friends of the animal variety from nearby Heifer Ranch.

Heifer Village Hosts Foreign Ambassadors

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

Heifer Village Hosts Foreign Ambassadors

Photo courtesy of Heifer International

The more than 40 attendees listened to Ferrari’s overview of Heifer’s project work, then the group self-selected to learn more about projects organized by area programs –  Central and Eastern Europe, Asia/South Pacific, Africa, and the Americas.

In addition to Heifer Village, the group visited the Clinton Presidential Center, the Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock Central High School and the Governor’s mansion. The group’s two-day visit also includes a trip to Fayetteville to tour the University of Arkansas’ facilities, explore Crystal Bridges Museum of Art and meet with local and regional business representatives.

According to the State Department website:

In bringing these distinguished diplomats to “The Natural State,” the Office of the Chief of Protocol seeks to strengthen America’s relationships with countries around the world by planting the seeds for new international partnerships and providing our visitors with a deeper understanding of our nation’s people and heritage.

Experience America is organized by the Diplomatic Partnerships Division of the Office of the Chief of Protocol, whose mission is to foster international goodwill and cultivate relationships between the Diplomatic Corps and the people and institutions of the United States through an exchange of ideas, cultures, and traditions. This is the eleventh Experience America trip since 2007, and previous destinations include Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York City, Chicago, Atlanta, as well as multiple cities in Alaska, California, Florida, Texas, and Wyoming. Since 2009, ambassadors from more than 100 countries have participated in Experience America trips.

While their time at Heifer Village was brief — only about 60 mins — we were honored to host this very special group of international visitors to educate them about Heifer’s work and the great city of Little Rock.

CSA Model Helps Feed the World

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Editor’s note: Today is World Food Day. This year’s theme is “Agricultural cooperatives – key to feeding the world.” The following post is from Ryan Neal, who runs the Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) garden at Heifer’s Learning Center at Heifer Ranch.

CSA volunteers on harvest day

Heifer Ranch CSA helpers with a bountiful harvest. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

There are probably as many types of agricultural cooperatives as varieties of tomatoes.  Whether consumer- or producer-run, cooperatives are a major player in feeding the globe.  Locally run examples include your local agriculture co-op where farmers purchase supplies, or even farmers markets where those same farmers get together to sell their products. Cooperatives have proven to be successful models in development when small farmers can get together in order to fill large orders needed by grocery stores.

Our model here at Heifer Ranch is commonly referred to as Community Supported Agriculture or CSA. The basic premise of this type of cooperative is participants, or “shareholders,” buy a share of our garden for the spring and summer growing seasons.  They do this in advance of the harvest in order to cover some of our upfront costs such as seeds, organic fertilizer, etc. In exchange we deliver to these shareholders a variety (typically seven to nine types) of vegetables each week, which changes as the weather warms. This type of cooperation allows the consumers a real connection to a farm and gives the farmer a chance to focus on production rather than marketing during the busy season.

Harvesting day on a CSA is a group effort.

Harvesting day at the Heifer Ranch CSA is a group effort. Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Feeding the world’s expected 9 billion people in 2050 will take more than a one-size-fits-all approach, and local cooperatives such as the one supported at Heifer Ranch might prove critical in supplying the sufficient quality and quantity of food we have come to expect. CSAs are present in many communities around the United States as well as the world. In fact, this model originated in Europe and Japan more than 50 years ago. CSAs can be found that support multiple farmers as well as multiple types of farmers.  A recent winter CSA started in the Little Rock, Arkansas, area, for example, includes meat, vegetables and eggs from three different farms.

CSA helpers at Heifer Ranch

Photo courtesy of Heifer International.

Check out localharvest.org/csa/ for examples in your area.

Are you a CSA member? Tell us about your CSA in the comments section below.

Read more of Heifer’s coverage of World Food Day 2012 here.

Finding Inspiration Close to Home

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One of my favorite things about my job is traveling around the world and meeting the incredible people with whom we work – the inspiring women, the innovative men, and the curious children.

And sometimes, to meet such people, my travel is much shorter, just an hour’s drive away to Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Arkansas.

I traveled with Heifer’s executive leadership team and Ish from sr4partners (incredible organization, you should check them out!) and we spent almost two days at the Heifer Ranch. Our group consisted of Steve Denne, COO; Bob Bloom, CFO; Cindy Jones-Nyland, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Resource Development ; Leesa Ferguson, Vice President of Human Resources, René Rockwell, Executive Office Director and Board Liaison; Hilary Haddigan, Director of Planning and Effectiveness; and of course, myself.

During our stay we were invited to dinner with the volunteers (these volunteers actually live and work on the farm). The catch? We were cooking dinner!

The first order of business was to review our ingredients and see what we could create.

There was a delicious array of food (not shown above!) grown by the wonderful people at the Ranch.

So we organized our menu, assigned tasks and we got to work!

As the meal began to come together, the kitchen filled with jokes, stories and laughter.

It wasn’t as if this was our first time together. We all see each other in meetings and around the office and we talk… a LOT…every day. The difference, of course, was the environment. Oh and the food! There’s something incredible about cooking your meal and knowing that the food that you’re preparing came from the land, just outside. Heifer Ranch has a great Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program that provides seasonal produce from the end of April until September and all the food is grown in a certified, organic, agricultural environment - now that’s what I call good eating!

Our finished spread was delicious and included fried chicken, pasta with a marinara sauce, stuffed bell peppers, a chocolate bread pudding, and additional treats provided by the volunteers.

But that wasn’t even the best part. The highlight was the opportunity to break bread with various Ranch volunteers and other Heifer co-workers. It wasn’t just about the food

(although it was a delightful perk!), it was also about the conversation and camaraderie.

The Ranch has these incredible volunteers that come from across the United States and even from other countries (a current volunteer is from Morocco!) and they range from students just out of high school to retirees. There jobs entail so much more than just tending to the agriculture. They also lead the educational programming, care for livestock, maintain facilities and provide operations support.

This was Ish’s second time at the Ranch and I asked him what he thought. He said, “From the moment you are at the Ranch and meeting with the volunteers and staff, you can just feel the commitment and the dedication. This is Heifer’s mission and vision in action. All of these people are committed to Heifer’s inspiring work.”

And he’s absolutely right. What matters to these people is the ability to serve and work towards Heifer’s mission of ending hunger and poverty while caring for the earth. They want to see a change, and they recognize that they can help set the wheels in motion. It really is inspiring.

In our conversations, we learned the stories of the volunteers, how they heard about Heifer, what their future plans were and we even had some volunteers share their innovative ideas (I have a whole list!). One volunteer shared with us: “The Ranch changed my life. I feel strongly connected to making sure it continues to be a source of empowerment, knowledge and motivation.”

In addition to discussions of ending hunger and poverty, we managed to squeeze in a few games of Foosball. It’s one of the rare times you’ll see Steve and me on opposite teams. I think I held my own!

It was an early night for us as Steve, Cindy, Bob, Leesa, René, Hilary, and I still had another day of discussions and brainstorming. But a dinner with the volunteers was just what we needed to keep up our momentum and morale.

If you’re looking for a way to connect to Heifer’s work closer to home, I highly suggest a visit to Heifer’s Ranch. For more information, visit Heifer’s website.

I thank the wonderful volunteers at the Ranch for a lovely time and I can’t wait for my next visit.

Heifer Around the Web: Garbage-Men Care For the Earth with Eco-Friendly Music

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Every Sunday we will highlight some of the people who are funding our work creatively or helping us spread the word of our mission online. If you spot Heifer International while you’re surfing the web or know of a fun or creative fundraising effort, please share it with us here in the comments.

This is one of the most interesting stories I’ve come across lately. The Garbage-Men, a fun eco-friendly band of teenagers from Sarasota, Florida, make music using instruments made from recycled materials: guitars from boxes, a horn from pipes, and a keyboard from old bottles. Not only are they eco-friendy and care for the Earth, they give 100 percent of the money from one of their CDs, as well as money from merchandise, to Heifer. Read all about The Garbage Men on Time for Kids and their own website, thegarbagemen.com.

Garbage-Men play instruments from recycled objects

Teen band The Garbage-Men perform: (left to right) Jack Berry, Ollie Gray, Harrison Paparatto, Austin Siegel and Evan Tucker. Photo by Robin Rosen, www.timeforkids.com.

Basketball game for Heifer

Faculty and staff play students in a basketball game that benefits Heifer International. Photo credit: www.wabi.tv

Further north in Maine, the International Club at Eastern Maine Community College put together a basketball game with teams made up of students vs. coaches and faculty – entertaining for all. All the proceeds went to Heifer International. Watch some video taken by the local news here.

You’ll want to keep an eye on this group of adventures, the Arkansas Chuggabuggs. They are taking part in the grueling Mongol Rally, a 10,000 kilometer, six-week adventure across Eurasia in a second-hand car. They’ve selected Heifer  International as their team’s charity, and we can’t wait to hear more about their adventure!

Teen volunteer Kara Shen, of Central Bucks East, was honored at the 2012 Bucks County Teen Volunteer of the Year awards ceremony along with about a dozen other teens. Her work includes volunteering at Doylestown Hospital, teaching English to a class at a rural elementary school in Taiwan, serving as a peer tutor and participating in various service initiatives through Heifer International and the Key Club. Congratulations Kara!

Turkey at Heifer Ranch

A turkey walking the grounds at Heifer Ranch. Photo Credit: Flour Sack Mama

Flour Sack Mama (read the about section to find out the reason for the interesting name) blogger and her family visited Heifer Ranch. She wrote about their experiences and the Ranch itself every day this past week, well worth the read.

Nchimunya Muganya writes an opinion piece for the Times of Zambia on the positives of goat farming, and gives Heifer a mention about our willingness to set up a goat processing plan to enhance processing technology and value addition in the sector.

 

Heifer Around the Web: Spring Break Magic at Heifer Ranch

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Every Sunday we will highlight some of the people who are funding our work creatively or helping us spread the word of our mission online. If you spot Heifer International while you’re surfing the web or know of a fun or creative fundraising effort, please share it with us here in the comments!

Our supporters can get quite creative and fun in their efforts to raise money for our projects around the world. Here are a few I spotted this week:

Preparations are being made for the 4th Annual Students of Heidi Mayo Art Exhibit, along with a silent auction to benefit one of our projects!

Mathew Chambers writes about his recent spring break trip (which included an overnight in the Global Village) to Heifer Ranch and “the magic that occurs,” on Georgia Southern University’s Center for Entrepreneurial Learning and Leadership website.

Spreading our message is just as important, so I’d like to bring attention to the following blogs that have featured Heifer International:

Giulia Geranium
Guila took the time to share information about our Hatch Hope campaign going on now.

She Knows Real Moms Guide
This blogger shares bits from her interview with Mary Steenburgen, a longtime Heifer supporter.

And finally, we’d like to congratulate Noland Hoshino, who recently won an Alumni Community Service Award for his efforts with the web and social media for the Portland chapter of Heifer International.

Heifer Ranch Trains New Farmers

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Some residents of the Arkansas Delta – potential participantsin Heifer’s new Seeds of Change project – got their first look at functioning organic agriculture last weekend at Heifer Ranch in Perryville, Ark.

Trainer Chuck Crimmins shows off new seedlings

Because there are few examples of chemical-free agriculture in the Delta, where cash crops dominate, the four visitors had a lot to learn. Some have already grown crops on the fertile Delta land and others are first-time producers. They were intrigued by niche animal agriculture, including goats, chickens, and bees.

Farmer Everette Woods
Everette Woods of Colt, Ark. currently farms 240 acres of wheat, soy, and sorghum. “When I was young, I swore I’d never go into farming,” he chuckled. But eventually the family business called him back.

Now, as Woods feels himself being squeezed out of the industry by larger players, he’s looking to try a different style of farming. Heifer is a natural partner. Seeing the breadth of knowledge needed to keep an organic farm in balance without chemicals he marveled, “This is hard work!”

The Ranch has been in Heifer’s hands since 1971, originally used to raise livestock that was shipped overseas. Since Heifer began locally sourcing its animals within other countries, the Ranch has been used mainly to educate the public and Heifer supporters. The training day represents a chance for the Ranch to participate directly in Heifer’s mission, as a training facility and resource for project participants.

In one day, trainers Chuck Crimmins and Paul Casey could only skim their detailed knowledge of sustainable agriculture. Every question that the participants asked only cracked another volume of unique challenges and clever solutions. Rotating crops for healthy soil? Chuck could spend days on it. Sheep parasites? Paul could write a book.

Trainer Chuck Crimmins and Chris Johnson of Hughes, Ark. talk chickens.
The participants got more out of their trip than technical instruction, though. Their eyes were opened to opportunity. They learned about the sizzling market for locally-produced food and saw the potential for earning money with Earth-friendly farming. “I feel like a kid again, going on a field trip,” said Antoine Burks, from Hughes, Ark. “Except this was a field trip of dreams.”